Shoetree



March 30, 1937. E. .1. BAAS 2,075,420

SHOETREE Filed March 11, 1935 V I HI r Edmond Baas,

Patented Mar. 30, 1937 PATENT;

SHOETREE Edmund J. Baas, Rochester, N. Y.

Application March 11, 1935, Serial No. 10,577

3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to forms for preserving the shapes of shoes, especially the toe portions thereof and has for its primary object the provision of a shoe-tree of this 5 type having in connection therewith simple effective finger gripping means to facilitate placing the tree within, and removing the same from, a shoe.

More particularly my present invention while applicable to various types of shoes, is especially adapted for use in connection with more delicate types of shoes ordinarily worn by women, for instance, those either without effective heel portions to the uppers or without any heel portions to the uppers, and resides in a laterally expansible shoe-tree having spring expanding and guiding means, and having finger gripping means at the rear thereof which adds but slightly to its length and may be employed to greatly facilitate placement and withdrawal of the tree without in any way interfering with the ordinary expansion and adaptability of its parts.

With the above general objects in mind, my invention will be better understood and more thoroughly appreciated by reference to the accompanying drawing, illustrating the same, and forming a part of the specification. In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the practical application of my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my improved shoe-tree, partly broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken therethrough substantially on line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring now to these figures, my invention proposes a shoe-tree consisting of two laterally opposing substantially similar sections l and I I which may move relative to one another and to a limited extent under the action of an expanding spring l2 between them, and will be guided in such movement by transverse forward and rear guide pins l3 and I4.

As shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3 the guide pins I3 and M are in the nature of screws, the threaded portions of whose shanks are firmly anchored as at I5 in the material of the section H, and the shanks of which extend through bores l6 of the section I 0, with the screw heads I! movable in counterbores l8 of section [0.

The two sections l0 and II are also provided with opposed bores [9 located at points between the guide pins M to receive the end portions of the expanding spring I2 so as to avoid danger of ready displacement of the spring.

The shoe-tree as thus described, is, upon application to a shoe, first manipulated in the hands of the user so as to shift the two sections Ill and I3 into contacting relation against the tension of spring l2, and is then thrust into the toe portion of a shoe, such as the shoe 20 of Figure 1, so that upon release it is free to expand under the tension of spring l2 for the purpose of adapting itself to the normal form of the shoe within which it is used.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the last as above as well as its subsequent removal from the shoe 20, I may extend the sections Ill and .II substantially rearwardly of the rear guide pin l4 and provide the opposing inner faces of these extended portions 2| with substantially-semicircular vertically-disposed recesses 22, which recesses thus cooperate to form a vertically disposed finger opening, especially eifective as such when the two sections are pressed into engagement with one another or nearly in engagement as they will be when in position in the shoe. It is thus an easy matter to reach into the shoe and by slipping thefinger or fingers downwardly into the opening formed by the recesses 22, pull the tree rearwardly out of the toe portion of the shoe.

If a tree of less length is desired, I may dispense with the rearward extension 2| having the recesses 22 and-instead terminate the two sections immediately at the rear of the rearmost guide pin l4, and in this instance utilize a ring- ,7

shaped finger gripping member 23 as in Figure 4, extensions 24 of which will be apertured to receive the rearmost guide pin l4 whereby the finger gripping ring 23 is supported in a. manner permitting it to pivot upwardly and downwardly on the guide pin. This latter construction as shown in Figure 4 may be utilized in connection with a tree embodying sections Ill and H and be in this, as well as in other respects, the same as the above described shoe-tree except as to the particular finger gripping means.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe-tree adapted in its eifective position to be seated solely in the toe portion of a shoe,

and consisting of va laterally expansible member guide pins and counterbores within which the guide pins are headed to limit movement of the 10 facilitating disposition of the shoe-tree within interfit the toe portion of a shoe, consisting of. laterally relatively shiftable sections having 00- acting guide and expansion means, and having substantially semi-cylindrical recesses in their opposing sections adjacent to and spaced forwardly from the rear end of the member which together form a vertically disposed substantially cylindrical finger opening to assist in placing the tree Within, and removing the same from, a shoe.

3. A shoe-tree comprising a two-part laterallyexpansible member for disposition within the toe portion of a shoe, each part of whichhas a recess in itsinner face adjacent to and spaced from the rear end thereof and which two recesses together form a finger receiving aperture.

' EDMUND J. BAAS. 

